Live Darts on Monday | World Matchplay 2026 Day Three Preview and Order of Play
The opening round draws to a close at the 2026 World Matchplay on Monday with two former champions returning to the Winter Gardens stage.
A thrilling opening weekend in Blackpool saw the big names largely prevail unscathed, with Chris Dobey being the sole seeded casualty so far.
A further quartet of seeded stars look to safely advance to the Last 16 of the sport’s summer showpiece on Day Three, including 2024 champion Luke Humphries.
The world number two is making his sixth World Matchplay appearance, having warmed up in style by claiming the US Darts Masters title in New York last month.
Humphries has finished runner-up in this year’s World Masters and Premier League, as well as winning the World Cup of Darts title for England alongside Luke Littler and securing the Belgian Darts Open title on the European Tour.
The former World Champion will be determined to make up for last year’s first round exit at the hands of Gian van Veen when he returns to Blackpool to face darting maverick Cameron Menzies.
Menzies makes his second successive Matchplay appearance, having been thrashed 10-2 by Danny Noppert on a debut to forget last year, averaging just 81 in the process.
The enigmatic Scotsman picked up his third Players Championship title earlier this month but has ominously lost his last five meetings with Humphries, including in last year’s World Grand Prix and European Championship.
Meanwhile, 2022 runner-up Gerwyn Price opens up with a clash against German number one – Martin Schindler.
Price famously landed a nine-darter here en route to the final four years ago and has not lost in the opening round at the Winter Gardens since 2019.
Semi-finalist in this year’s World Masters and UK Open, Price also reached the Premier League play-offs and has picked up a title on both the European Tour and ProTour.
Schindler is Germany’s last remaining hope in this event following the exit of Niko Springer, but has failed to register a win in four previous appearances in this competition.
The three-time European Tour event winner has struggled for consistency in 2026 so far, with five opening round exits on the European Tour and 11 first round defeats on the ProTour.
Rob Cross, the 2019 World Matchplay champion, faces a tough opening assignment against 2022 semi-finalist Danny Noppert.
Cross has been an ever-present in this event since 2017 but has reached just one quarter-final since lifting the Phil Taylor trophy seven years ago.
He returns to Blackpool unseeded for the first time since his debut campaign, but in a rich vein of recent form which has seen him pick up a Players Championship title and finish runner-up at the Slovak Darts Open.
Noppert was one of last season’s most consistent performers on the sport’s biggest stages, reaching no fewer than four major ranking semi-finals, and has reached successive quarter-finals at the World Masters and UK Open this year.
Runner-up in April’s German Darts Grand Prix, the Dutchman is the number ten seed in the draw but has struggled for results of late on both the European Tour and ProTour.
The opening match of the night sees former European Champion Ross Smith take on red hot Dutch debutant – Kevin Doets.
Smith reached the quarter-finals in Blackpool two years ago but has suffered first round exits in his other three appearances.
The world number 15 finally clinched his first European Tour title at the International Darts Open in May following four consecutive final losses, and has added a further brace of Players Championship titles this season.
Doets has proved one of this year’s breakthrough stars, securing a maiden Players Championship title in Hildesheim back in May, whilst also finishing runner-up at the Austrian Darts Open.
The 28-year-old has reached the Fourth Round of the World Championship in successive years and has romped into the world’s top 32 in recent months.
The action gets under way from 7pm BST, with first round matches to be contested over the best of 19 legs.
Matches will be extended if necessary for a maximum of six extra legs before a sudden death leg is required. For example, in a first to ten first round match, if the score reaches 12-12 then the 25th leg will be the sudden death decider.
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World Matchplay 2026 Day Three Schedule
Monday July 20
First Round
7pm-11pm
Ross Smith v Kevin Doets
Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries v Cameron Menzies
Danny Noppert v Rob Cross
